FLOWER DECORATING : SOME EASY AND STYLISH TIPS!

The reminiscence of  last V. Day's, together with these unusual bright February weather have been giving us  a small taste of Spring and the pleasant illusion that all the grey wintry days have passed. So I feel I've been feeling even more ready for Spring than usual and bringing in lots of flowers to cheer up the house. I find flowers brighten up even the darkest days, and make the house feel much cosier – even in the dead of winter!

My favourite arrangement style is casual chic also to keep it affordable, so if you too are in tune with this mood, here follow some flower-decorating tips: 

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE

This is personal preference, of course, but I love casual bouquets of flowers, especially posy bouquets, at home. I never do fancy arrangements, not only because they are more expensive to put together, but also because they just aren’t my style. For me, there is just nothing quite as stunning as a big bunch of one type of quite common and "not too exotic" flowers in a gorgeous vase or vessel. And the bonus is, they can be used also as a table arrangement on a daily basis that way!

2. USE INTERESTING VESSELS

Think outside the box when it comes to a vessel for your flowers – you don’t have necessarily to use a vase! In fact, I'd say that more often than not, I don’t even use a vase. I tend to prefer pitchers, dough bowls, and antique urns. Truly, the sky’s the limit! Try using an old bucket, several small old creamers or glasses, or a vintage silver bowl. And using something more interesting than a basic vase really elevates the arrangement and makes it more special.

3. USE GROCERY STORE FLOWERS 

Where can you buy your flowers? I almost never go to a flower mart, unless I’m doing a big seasonal tour and I can’t find something special that I need. Otherwise, I stalk my local grocery store, or street vendor, which is a great source for reasonably priced fresh flowers, and bulbs. The latter even sells tons of different greenery such as eucalyptus, so it’s a one-stop shop for me! Not only do you save money buying flowers at a grocery store/street vendor, but it makes it much easier to keep seasonal bouquets in your home on a weekly basis.

                                                      
4. SHOP SEASONALLY

Another way to save money is to shop the flowers that are in season! I love all kinds of bulbs, and ranunculi for this period. Peonies and roses are my favourite flowers on earth, but I only buy them in the spring, when they are in season, when they are fairly reasonable.  So if it’s a special occasion you may want to splurge on something out of season, but otherwise, go with what is plentiful and affordable. And if you're so lucky to have a rose garden, cut English roses will provide the most romantic and aromatic arrangement for tea-time. And Lily-of-the-valley or lilac flowers of course, are wonderfully aromatic too!

                                                    
5. DON’T BE ASHAMED TO USE SOME FAUX

I admit that for a long time I was a “fresh flowers only” purist. But let’s be honest, it’s not always possible or practical to get fresh flowers every week. So what’s a flower-loving girl to do? That’s the time to use quality faux! Faux flowers have come a long way since grandma's  arrangements that looked plastic and collected dust on the dining room table! Nowadays, they still aren’t my first choice, but they really come in handy at times. And even better, they can fill gaps when combined with your real flowers! That’s right – I’ve mixed faux with real in the same vase and no one’s been the wiser! However, the one thing I don’t ever use is faux greenery. I think the fresh greenery really adds much-needed texture and it keeps the whole arrangement looking more real that way. A little tip for you – bend them and spread them apart so they are more like fresh flowers.

                                                       
6. DON’T FORGET FLOWERING PLANTS

Probably one of the best ways to save money and still enjoy fresh flowers is to buy flowering plants rather than cut stems. There are several containers in my home that are long and low and I can’t really do fresh cut flowers in them, so I buy flowering plants instead, such as cyclamen, daffodils or muscari. I often buy hydrangeas and put them in the antique urn in my dining room and if they last three months, I’m way ahead of the game. And these gorgeous live flowers are less expensive too! A win-win for sure!

7. SET A BUDGET

If you drool over flower photos on Instagram or Pinterest like I do, set a budget so that you can make fresh flowers a priority. Up until about six or seven years ago, I bought flowers very infrequently. It wasn’t until a friend of mine told me she bought them every week – and had made it part of her budget – that I actually starting doing it. I simply do without some things I used to treat myself to, and now I get flowers most weeks instead – and I’m so much happier!

I hope these seven tips on how to decorate with flowers have inspired you to bring more fresh flowers into your home! They are truly one of the best things in life and I can’t imagine my house without them!